ARC REPLICA: sentinel site monthly check-in reports in Senegal
During Senegal’s 2019 agricultural season, it was estimated that nearly a million people could be affected by a predicted drought during the 2020 lean season (June-August). This triggered two parametric insurance pay-outs from the African Risk Capacity (ARC), totalling $23.1 million: a $12.5m pay-out to the Government of Senegal and a $10.6m pay-out to their ‘replicating’ civil society partner, Start Network.
The Start Network’s ARC Replica pay-out provided assistance for vulnerable households in communities across seven regions of Senegal. The assistance primarily consisted of cash and fortified flour distributions by six Start Network member organisations: Action contre la Faim, Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children, and World Vision. More information about the 2020 ARC Replica pay-out in Senegal, when distributions took place, and the ARC Replica programme more generally – can be found on the Start Network website.
One of the data collection methods was routine monthly check-in calls that took place between March/April–September 2020. These were phone call check-ins with community contacts (one per community) across 22 sentinel sites in Senegal. 11 of these sites are located in departments covered by ARC Replica programming (however, none of the villages received ARC Replica support) and the other 11 were in departments included in the ARC-funded support provided by the Senegalese government.
The calls with community contacts asked open-ended questions that were focussed on agriculture and water availability, household health, food security, and accessing loans during the preceding month to understand how households were coping before, during, and after the lean season.
This resource provides six reports from March/April- September 2020 and summarises the themes above.